Mediterranean sausage stew

The Mediterranean Diet. We’ve all heard of it and now it’s time to make it a part of my everyday life. Doctors orders. Why? To see if my cholesterol will come down with a change of diet. Healthy heart = longer life. So far, I’m down with that.

Over these past four/five weeks, I’ve begun eating more vegetables, salads, nuts and fruit, beans and brown rice. I’ve cut out processed meats, butter & cheeses. Natural oils such as avocados, salmon and of EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil) are highly recommended! Oh and less cows milk / cheeses and red meat which has been replaced with goat cheeses, soy milk and seafood, which should be eaten at least 3-4 times a week.

As the Mediterranean Diet’s food pyramid shows us above, it’s a way of eating cleaner, natural, healthier food. Consisting of eating more whole grains, nuts, legumes, salads, vegetables and fruit with seafood and eating less red meat, dairy – especially cow – and processed foods. This is the way of living for the people of Greece, Crete and southern Italy.

Not only is the Mediterranean Diet the perfect diet for a healthy heart, but it has been noted to reduce rates of reflux, diabetes, cholesterol levels, prostate & breast cancers, high blood pressure, Alzheimers, inflammation and arthritis. The Mediterranean Diet can also help with weight loss.

So lets give it a go. I’m looking forward to seeing some great results.

Time to board the Mediterranean Diet train – woohoo! Who’s with me? This is a food journey worth exploring together 🙂 Do you have a favourite recipe you’d love to share? I’d love to draw inspiration from them and create some super tasty delicious meals together.

So this recipe came up as a way to use leftover sausages. The good old Aussie BBQ is something we love doing on the weekend and we don’t need to give that up on this diet. It just means that red meat may have to be ditched from the diet for the next week. And not eating red meat for the rest of the week is not the end of the world!

TIP – why notreplace the sausage with chicken or turkey sausages? Or for a vegetarian option, a firm tofu orQuorn.

A simple dish that can be dressed up or down – add as many veggies as you like, try different beans or even add more or less chilli – the sky’s the limit! This is great served with rice, mash or even couscous. Slices of fresh sourdough bread wouldn’t go astray either.

METHOD:
Heat the oil in a large frypan on medium heat. Stir in the onion and capsicum, cooking for two minutes until softened. Push to one side and cook off the spices, stirring throigh until fragrant, another two minutes.

Tip – by frying the spices, it helps to release the natural oils and flavours of the spices, instead of the spices tasting like powder.

Stir through the sausages with the garlic, so they get covered in all the wonderful spices.

Pour in the tomatoes, chicken stock, beans and water. Stir through the mushrooms and zucchini.

Place a lid on the pan and bring to the boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to simmer, stirring occasionally for one hour.

Once removed from the heat, stir through the spinach. Tip – this helps the spinach stay vibrant green.

Serve immediately with brown rice. Top with parsley and crumbled feta.

Bon appetite

This dish is absolutely delish! I will be enjoying this recipe over many a cooler night, with a glass of Shiraz – red wine’s allowed in this diet! Now this is my kind of diet 😉 There’s no mention of white wine but I did enjoy a glass with this dish.